During the height of load shedding, GoSolr was battling to keep up with overwhelming national demand. They simply did not have enough people to answer phones or pre-qualify customers wanting to subscribe to their solar service. With the constant, unpredictable changes to load shedding stages, the company was hesitant to hire dozens of staff only to risk sitting with an oversized team if the government suspended load shedding shortly after. They urgently needed a solution that offered flexibility, scalability, and agility, one that could absorb demand spikes without increasing operational costs when demand dropped. Rather.chat partnered with GoSolr to create exactly that: an automated WhatsApp-driven journey that takes over the parts of the process that do not require human intervention, ensuring customers receive fast, seamless support at the most critical stages.
Together, GoSolr and rather.chat have built an intuitive WhatsApp chat experience that allows South Africans to explore, qualify for, and subscribe to renewable energy solutions, specifically solar power. The AI-powered chatbot allows users to request instant quotes, complete a credit check, upload documentation, and sign contracts, all within minutes, directly on WhatsApp.
“Our mission has always been to make – solar, accessible to as many South Africans as possible,” says Thomas Framnes, Chief Experience Officer at GoSolr. “Partnering with rather.chat extends that accessibility, because it creates an opportunity for our customers to begin their solar journey on a conversational platform they already use every day. It’s fast, intuitive, and aligned with how modern consumers want to interact with suppliers today.”
Powered by rather.chat’s AI-driven automation system, GoSolr continues to use its smartbot to redefine how South Africans explore the renewable options available to them. The automated chat journey handles everything from roof sizing to payment guidelines. Behind the scenes, CRM integration ensures each interaction is logged and shared with sales agents at the right moment, helping them focus on ready-to-close customers and improving conversion rates across the board.
The results speak for themselves: since mid-2024, GoSolr has seen more than 25 000 additional users start a conversation and move into the sales funnel/process to see if they qualify for a quote. After filtering for serviceable locations, 70% of leads qualified and 40% of those qualified leads converted into quote requests.
“This partnership shows what’s possible when technology meets purpose,” says Jonathan Elcock, CEO of rather.chat. “GoSolr’s innovative subscription model and our automation tools have come together to remove friction from the solar adoption process. With WhatsApp as the bridge, we’re making sustainable energy in South Africa as simple as sending a message.”
GoSolr’s subscription model, which you can now explore on WhatsApp, provides homeowners and small businesses with solar power, including panels, batteries, and inverters, through an affordable monthly plan that covers installation, monitoring, and maintenance. Combined with rather.chat’s AI-powered smartbot, this model now offers a seamless digital experience from first contact to clean-energy conversion.
By replacing traditional email and SMS communication with AI-powered WhatsApp engagement, GoSolr and rather.chat are demonstrating how local innovation can accelerate South Africa’s energy transition: one conversation at a time.
